Deprived
by Sulkie Wolfen
Summary: Poor, poor Banzai. DISCONTINUED, first fic ever I'm so embarrassed...
1. Diseased

**Deprived -- Chapter 1**

**Disclaimer :: **I don't own The Lion King, or any of the characters in this first chapter. The only thing I own is my ability to write and my bad sense of humor. This is my first fanfic... so the disclaimer isn't very good.

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Banzai watched in emotional agony as his brother Ed lay motionless, his only sign of life being an occasional wimper and his slow breathing. Ed's tongue lay on the ground, his face covered in sweat, his side against the rocks. Banzai fought back tears. For days, Ed had been like this, and he could hardly stand to see his brother suffer. Ed had never been the brightest hyena, he only spoke in a maniacal laugh and was too slow to lie at the right time, but Banzai, being a reasonable male (by hyena standards...) still strongly adored him. Ed had been captured by a terrible disease which neither lion nor hyena could detect.

The disease had one day come around, and suddenly many hyenas fell subject to it. Recently, Ed had become one of them. The hyenas' pack had grown significantly smaller due to this disease. Banzai could only hope that Ed could overcome his state, for there was nothing he could do save to wait. Wait in the pain of knowing Ed would most likely die.

Shenzi gasped in pain. Breathing heavily, she set her face on the hard ground. She was sweating madly, her heart was pouding in her head. Every inch of her body was in pain. The hyena sighed and fell back asleep, ready to believe it was a dream.

When Banzai awoke the next morning, he found Shenzi in a condition near the shape of Ed's.

"Shenzi!" He gasped, running to Shenzi's side and nuzzling her.

"Banzai," Shenzi said weakly.

"Oh Shenzi," Banzai whispered.

He let escape a tear from his eye. Shenzi may not have been blood related to him, but they'd been together all their lives, and had always been friends. Banzai was torn. The two living people who mattered most to him were dying.

Later, while he mourned, he came across his ruler and old friend, Scar. It filled him with shame to see Scar, for he had always doubted him. Now he knew how Scar felt. Banzai knew that Scar was in worse shape than himself, look at the puddle he'd gotten himself into! His past was filled with horror and sorrow that even Banzai could scarecely imagine. And all this time Banzai had thought Scar was acting irrational. Always roaming with his head down, hiding his feelings, being... negative. And now, Banzai understood Scar's pain. Scar's negativity. And he began to fill himself with the shame that he was to turn out like his long forgotten friend.


	2. Bloodspill and Suffer

**Deprived -- Chapter 2**

**Author's Notes :: **Here's chapter two, thank you for the reviews! Oh, and thank you maggeh and emlythekool for reviewing both Deprived and The Pain of Death! I'd like to let some people know...

**_maggeh: _**No, I don't think anyone will die. It depends... no, I'm just teasin' you. Thanks for teaching me how to post chapters...

**_emlythekool: _**Thanks for reviewing, I was happy to find out that you reviewed this one too! Oh... and yes, Shenzi is a girl. You... didn't know that? Heh, I'm (hint hint: you might think of reading The Lion Who Became King With Help from a Hyena!)

(Other reviewers... I'd get to you but maggeh is urging me to post this, NOW)

**Disclaimer :: **I own nothing, no one. Except the one Banzai seeks help from that will appear in the next chapter...

What could Banzai do? It hadn't been -- quite -- so bad when only Ed was diseased, but now Shenzi too? Ed had never been able to talk to him. He hadn't understood most of Banzai's conversations. Ed was to Banzai as a dog is to an owner. Almost -- a pet. And Ed had been very low rank in the pack. Shenzi was the only he could talk to when even Ed didn't satisfy his want to talk something over. When Ed had fallen this way, Shenzi had been the first to comfort Banzai. The one who licked his face, telling him it would be okay. Worse still, Shenzi was matriarch. And now Shenzi too had fallen. What was Banzai to do without them?

Many of the hyenas wrestled or faught for a bone that day. Banzai on the other hand lingered the outskirts, head down, eyes wet. His eyes were closed though, and every so often a tear would escape them. For Banzai had never been so depressed in his life. His two favorite hyenas were... dying. As he wandered the outskirts, he saw many hyenas with a similar predicament to his own, and he smiled weakly at them and gave them a quick, "Good luck with that."

"Banzai," Shenzi whispered, motioning Banzai near her.

Banzai hurried to greet his friend, and listened intently. "Banzai," Shenzi repeated.

"Yes?"

"I want you to take over the pack."

"What?" Asked Banzai.

"That's right," Shenzi said. "You. The leader. Tell them Shenzi Marie--"

"Predatora Veldetta Jaquelina Hyena," Banzai finished. Shenzi nodded.

"Sent you."

Shouldn't Banzai be happy? His best friend had given him the job of secondary pack leader. Wouldn't that make him happy, Banzai wondered? But it didn't make him feel happy. In fact, he felt worse than ever before. For could this mean that Shenzi knew in her mind that she was to leave the world? What was Banzai to do to help her and Ed? He knew how -- as Scar would have said -- _stchewpid _he was acting, but he knew that there were people who would understand his predicament and -- hopefully -- be able to help him. And so he set off to find one who would always help him no matter the case or cause; the one who had always meant so much to him; although dead, he knew he could count on her.


	3. Kwajuka's Advice

Although she was not blood related to Banzai, Kwajuka had always meant so much to him. She had died years and years ago; with help from Scar's father Ahadi. When he, Shenzi, and Scar had been helplessly young, Ahadi had killed Kwajuka. Kwajuka was the former matriarch of the hyena's clan, and as it happened, Shenzi's mother.

"Kwajuka!" Banzai screamed at the sky. "What am I to do? The ones who matter to me are dying!"

He had known precisely how to communicate for he had seen it done by his friends Shenzi and Scar a number of times. Especially in the case of Scar. Kwajuka had meant the world to Scar and when she died it had torn him apart. Banzai knew that Scar's past was horrible and that the only thing that helped him was communicating with the first being to give him real care; the first one to love him; like his mother; Kwajuka. If it helped Scar so, might it help Banzai as well? One thing was for sure to Banzai, it was worth a try.

"Kwajuka!" He repeated.

A form appeared in the clouds. The hyena's flowing mane draped over her face and neck as it always had. Her warm smile shone brightly, and even in the clouds Banzai could distinguish her beautiful inviting turquoise eyes.

"Kwajuka... what do I do?"

"Banzai," Kwajuka mouthed. "Take care of your friends. If not the help of one, many lives will not be spared. Take care of yourself, my friend."

"Kwajuka!" Banzai was in tears.

Kwajuka's form left the sky. Banzai sighed as he sulked back to the den.

Because it surrounded their bodies, because it was red, because it flowed so freely, Banzai knew it must be blood. Shenzi and Ed's blood.

Much as he tried, Banzai could think of nothing pleasing. The ones who mattered so much to him were in store for a terrible fate. Death. Or worse. There was never a person nor hyena that didn't believe that there were consequences worse than death. Vaguely so, but everyone did. And it was this that Banzai's mind was brought to. After all, what could be a consequence worse than death? For in death, everything leaves you, (unless you happen to have been royal and thus gone to the stars) right, Banzai thought? Banzai hadn't the faintest idea. He knew his friend Scar believed there were consequences worse than death, but Scar was about the least reliable lion he could have thought of talking to. He was wildly superstitious and believed too much in fate for a realist like Banzai.

_But, _Banzai thought. _Might it be **better **to believe in these things?_


	4. Maybe Madness Is Contagious

**Deprived -- Chapter 4**

**Note :: **Okay, this chapter is a little bit funny. I couldn't help it! The two things I can not do are leave Scar out of things, and get through an entire story without humor! I'm sorry! I'm just... not a serious person. Besides, I deal with stress by making jokes about it, and Banzai follows my example! Is... there a problem with that? Anyway, this chapter is also very short. But it is very powerful. And though Scar does not make an appearance, he has a large role in this chapter. (It's a funny role, too!)

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Now Banzai began to ponder for the first time what Kwajuka had said. "If not the help of one..." did that mean that in order to survive, Shenzi and Ed needed his help? But what could he do? He was just... (he hated to admit) a lazy, disgusting, grimy hyena, right? What did he know about helping another? For the first time, a want to help another surrounded Banzai's thoughts. A want to mean something to someone. A want to care for another and recieve care from them in return. And once again, his thoughts floated to Scar. And how much he was acting like his friend. In that moment, he knew that instead of moping, he needed to do something about his predicament.

_Running... he was running. But to where was he running? And why? It all came to him: he was to save Shenzi and Ed. He ran and ran, until he realized that he was running toward the sun. The sun? Why run to the sun? But instead of seeming closer, it just kept getting farther away. No! No, come back! Come back here! A black world was surrounding him. He felt trapped in this... place. Everything around him was black. Until... a circle. There was a circle at the top. It was red. No, it was blue. It was purple! But it wasn't. It was both red and blue. How could that be? The odd things that happen in dreams... what was happening? The light from the circle blinded him, until he saw his two friends. Lying on the ground. Dead. It was for a split second before everything swirled, and he felt terrified, trapped in this world. What was happening?_

_Madness must be contagious, _Banzai thought, managing to laugh as he thought of everyone in the pride/pack catching 'Madness' from Scar. Trying to keep his mind off his worries, he continued in his narrative, _I haven't been around Scar lately. Maybe Shenzi and Ed have Madness. Maybe I'll see tomorrow, them two lolling their tongues out and hiccuping. Maybe I'm catching it too._

With these foolishly happy thoughts in his mind, Banzai fell asleep.


End file.
